It has been one year since the deregulation of planning allowing empty office space to be converted to residential housing. Manchester City Council, conscious of the limited amount of office space in the city centre, quickly applied for an exemption, but what has been the impact on Greater Manchester as a whole?

Yesterday saw the annual state opening of parliament and the Queen’s Speech setting out the government’s legislative programme up until the next election. While the proposals on pensions and the recall of MPs will no doubt grab the headlines, we’ve learnt by now that the coalition can’t resist tinkering with the planning system. So what do they have in store?

When the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) came into force, one of the key criticisms levelled at it by objectors was that it would be a licence to concrete over the Green Belt; that England’s green and pleasant land would be no more. But has that dystopian vision come to pass? And if so, how can you get planning permission on a Green Belt site?

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